Before Time
by Emi Notrek
Summary: Natalia is your average teenage girl trying to find her place in the world, but when an ordanary trip to her grandparents reveals a hidden family secret will she forgive her family of fend for herself and live the life her parents protected her from.PlzR
1. For the last time, call me Lia

Chapter One

This chapter is dedicated to Kaitylen for her input and help in being my beta reader.

I only own the characters Lia, Ellette and the Grandfather.

Please read and review.

It was raining out side, making the skies dark grey. A single car drove down a road dividing a forrest in two.

In the back seat of the car was a stubborn teenage girl, whos dark brown hair and bright green eyes lit up the car.

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

The girl sharply turned her attention to her little brother sitting next to her. "Shut up, fall asleep and we'll be there before you know it."

The young boys eyes were staring into those of his sister's. His eyes began to water and his mouth turned to a frown. He turned to face the window and burst into tears.

"Look what you've done now." Her father said his atention still on the wet road ahead.

"Natalia how many times do I have to tell you, your brothers only Four. Don't yell at him." Her mother's sweet voice remained calm, but there was an obvious note of dissapontment.

"For the last time, call me Lia" The 15 year old girl said, drawing her attention back out the window.

The interior light was on, allowing Lia's mother to read a map because the family was lost.

The trees formed a backround, for Lia's face. She was stairing deep into the reflection of her face on the glass.

The family was driving to there grandparents house which was a trip they made rarely due to the distance of the journey. Usually their grandparents would come to them.

Lia was listerning to her parents argue over directions, the next thing she knew she was in a school classroom.

Everyone was laughting at her. "Why are you laughting at me?" The classroom was a dull marone colour lit by candles floting in the air. She had had many dreams of this school before but it was like no school she had ever seen before. She soon realised what every one was laughting at, she looked down and found herself wearing a pair of pink pajamers with white bunny rabbits printed on them. Everyone in the room had brown sticks drawn and in an instance all the people pointed the sticks at her and a strange feeling came across her, she was now looking up at everybody, she put her hand out and it was green, "I'm a frog". The laughting continued to get louder until a figure burst open the doors. The laughter stoped immediatly. It was her Aunt Ellette she was dressed in a black robe like the rest of the children in the room.

"Lia, Lia wake up your here."

The classroom faded into the distance, her eyes opened to the face of her Aunt. "How are you?"

Lia jumped out of the car wrapping her arms around her aunt. She rarly saw her Aunt Ellette, as she was always away working. She worked at a boarding school and only came to her parents house during the christmas break. Lia felt that she was the only person in the world that understood her and she was the only person that called her Lia.

"Wow, its nice to see you too," Ellette said hugging her Neice back. "How are you? it was a long trip."

"I'm fine, can we go inside it is freezing out here." Lia folded her arms on her chest.

"Yes lets, Your Grandparents are inside, its too cold for them." Ellette looked over at her big brother "Frank, how are you? Mother is still as stuborn as ever, and hello Alice."

She linked arms with Lia and they lead the way up to the house followed by Lia's Parents and little Brother.

They got into the house where they found their grandfather had got up and was in the kitchen making them all tea and making the two kids hot chocolate.

"So Neville dear how are you?" Lia's grandmother asked Lia's little brother.

"I'm good, I can count to twenty and say my ABCs" Neville said in the typical four year old voice.

His grandmother lifted her hand and hit herself on the head. "Failure, Absolut Failure, you should have brought him up the same way I brought my children up, he was a squibe any way, takes after his sister, they shame the Longbottom family."

"Mother." The siblings said in unusionn.

"Please we chose what we think is best for our children please lets not talk about this anymore." Frank said to his mother, most upset with his mothers utter rudeness.

"Whats a Squ...wibe?" Neville asked having trouble with the last word.

"Never you mind." His mother said.

"Aunt Ellette I had a dream about a School, and you where there you were wearing black robes and so where all the other children. All of the children where holding sticks and they pointed them at me and the next thing I knew I was a ... a frog." Lia said slowing as she went.

All the adults gasped.

"What..? Did I say something?"

"Premonitions." Her grandmother said quietly to herself.

"I think it is time for you two to go to bed, it's been a long day. I'll be down in a minute." Alice said to her children.

Lia got up from the floor and went around and Kissed all of her family, Neville following closly behind.

Alice stoood up and faced her husbands mother with an angry expression "Augusta, you know our wish is not to involve our children in the world we used to live in, we just wish you would go along with it."

"They are living a lie, Natalia should be attending Hogwarts where her Aunt works." Augusta said angally.

"We are doing what we think is safest, Hogwarts has had security problems in the past and a girl died. As long as we are able to protect our children they shall remain under our supervision." Alice walked out of the room.

"Mother you have to help us with this, we made a decision, and we are going to stand by it." Frank re-enforced his wifes statement. And he too walked out of the room.

Augusta's husband walked back into the room carring a tray of mugs.

"Where'd they all go?"


	2. Family Heritage

**Chapter Two**

I only own my own characters (aka Lia, Grandfather, Aunt Ellette) and story line.

This chapter is dedicated to Kaitylen for being my beta reader.

Please Read and review.

She lay in her bed not able to sleep, her parents were hiding something from her, just, what?

What could a secretary and chief be hiding?

She remained awake for the rest of the night. She was in a strange house, in a strange bed and her nose was full of the most unpleasant smell.

She got out of bed early the next morning to the rustling of movement. She walked quietly, like a leopard about to pounce on its prey, down the old hallway pitch black due to it only being six am. The doorway on the far left corner of the hall was projecting light. Quiet voices came from the room, where her grandfather had prepared there drinks the previous night.

She crept up to it and stuck her head around the door.

All the adults were gathered in there. Her parents moving quickly around the room, her grandparents at the stove cooking what smelt like pancakes and muffins and her Aunt Ellette leaning on a chair.

Her grandmother turned away from the stove to look at her son and daughter In-law. "You can't just leave them here. You reduced your Contribution to the order to give your children a normal life, and now just because things are getting tough you're bailing and going to fight."

"You-know-who is back, we need to fight to save the entire wiz..." Alice's angry rampage was interrupted by Ellette clearing her throat, drawing attention to the figure in the doorway.

Lia quickly hid behind the wall.

Alice popped her head into the hallway finding her daughter standing with her back to the wall, breathing heavily.

"Come for some breakfast?" Alice asked.

"Um, Yeah." Lia didn't know what to say. She moved into the kitchen everybody was staring at her.

She looked over at the doorway leading into the lounge. Two suitcases sat awaiting departure.

Her father moved in front of them, covering them from her view. She looked up into her father's eyes, a vague expression on his face.

"Are you going somewhere?" She asked her eye beginning to water. She was a teenager but for some reason fear immediately struck her.

"Um, there's been a big problem at work, and I have to get back, your mother must come with me to help organise things. We will be back in about a week."

"So you're leaving us here?" Tears running down her cheek, chocking up her words.

"We won't be long, we will be back in a week I promise." Her mother said giving her a huge hug.

Lia shouldn't be crying over her parents leaving for such a short amount of time, but something inside just didn't feel right.

She hugged her mum back and moved away.

Breakfast was quiet, no one knew what to say.

They assembled out side the house at 7.30 to farewell Alice and Frank. Neville run up to his parents and gave them a big hug. He moved back beside his sister. Usually Lia would pay no attention to him or try and pick a fight with him but today she understood he would be upset. She bobbed down to Neville and realised he had tears running down his cheeks, she picked him up and put him on her hip.

He was very brave for such a young boy. Moth children of his age would be kicking and screaming, but not Neville, he acted more Mature that Lia even though there was a huge age difference.

They waved good-bye and headed back inside.

The next couple of days flowed by slowly.

Lia woke up one morning to the sound of her aunt crying beside her bed.

Lia slowly rose from her pillow, her voice drowsy.

"What's wrong?"

Her aunt lifted her head her face red, and distraught. Her voice cut in and out. "I don't know how to tell you this, I'm just going to be honest with you." She wiped her eyes. Lia's stomach started to turn, a sick feeling came. "A friend of your parents rang… your parents have been in an accident."

Lia jumped out of bed. She was in a state of shock. Aunt Ellette was still weeping on the bed. Went into Neville's room, he was still fast asleep.

She lifted him from his crib, and took him out into the living room.

Her grandmother was sitting on the armchair, her face not showing a single sign of sympathy, and very plainly came out of her mouth "Get ready, we'll go and visit them."

Lia went back into her room and got changed then quickly took Neville back into the lounge room. Her grandparents and Aunt where standing beside the fireplace.

"Come here." Her grandmother said demandingly.

Lia moved over beside her grandmother, Neville still in her arms.

"Ever used the floo network before?" her grandmother said.

"The what Network?"

"I'll take that as a no, you parents were stupid hiding this from you. Ok pass Neville her." She put her hands out and Lia passed her little brother to his grandmother.

"Ok step into the fire place and take a hand full of floo powder and very clearly say St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."

"What why would I stand in fire place?" Lia said laughing.

"When you mother first became pregnant with you, your parents decided, much to my disapproval, not to tell you the truth about our families heritage. We are Witches and Wizards… our family are magic." Her grandmother really had a way with words, and knew how to break the news appropriately.

Lia looked over at Aunt Ellette, she moved up and kneeled in front of Lia.

"That dream you had the other day, those children where also magic. I teach at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was where your dream was based. I teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Floo is a way of transporting witches and Wizards and you just have to follow the instructions your grandmother gave you. I'll go first and I'll meet you there."

Her aunt took a fistful of powder and stepped into the fireplace. "St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." And in a burst of green flames she was gone.

"Ok, your turn, I'll bring Neville with me." Her grandmother held out her hand pointing to the fireplace.

She took a couple of steps forward into the fireplace and turned around to face her grandparents. Nerves ran through her, her grandparents were trust worthy, sure she didn't know them well but they wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

She grabbed the floo power and trough it down at her feet and said, making sure she pronounced it clearly.

"St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries"

Her body was lifted up and she felt her body speeding through the sights of London.

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